A Questionable Oracle

“You only feel powerless because your fear has given your power to the object of your fear. Once you realize this, you can claim it back.”

-- Kamand Kojouri, author

How do I create a life I love?

Learn to be happy, always! If you don’t know how to be happy, how will you possibly know you’re in a life you love? Creating a life around your happiness is so much easier than creating happiness around a life you’re not sure of. If life goes south, your happiness suffers. But, if you’ve learned to be happy always and the life you’re building falters, you can stop, fix it, and move on knowing you will be happy in your efforts. And, if you read this and don’t agree, think about what the alternative is. Better to be happy always and build a life you love.

How can you be defined by your future and not by the past?

This is possible by your reaction to a future requirement. If a man’s wife is trapped in a burning building the decision he makes in the next moments will be telling. If he jumps into the building, he is a hero if he brings her out or not, and if he refuses to brave the flames to rescue her, this will define him as a coward for not even making an attempt.

Would you rather save an entire country or save your whole family, and why?

Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. As a military man, it is my responsibility to save the entire country in order to save the citizens. Hopefully, family and country will both be okay. If we lose the country we lose our family, if we save just our family, we lose the country. It is a tough choice, but military members have to make it constantly. It is what we do.

“I guess that’s just part of loving people: You have to give things up. Sometimes you even have to give them up.”

-- Lauren Oliver, author

Do you agree that this is true?

I cannot agree or disagree with this statement.  But, I would like to know what's in your head to make you ask this.

Why do I feel like I wasted my life but I am only 20?

So, what have you wasted, about four years? You won’t even have a clue until you’re about 24, and even then you’ll probably be wrong because you haven’t lived enough life to be right. Let’s revisit this when you turn 65 and been around the block so many times you’re dizzy.

Why, as we get older, does our free time fill up with work until we run out of our spare time?

If it does, you’ve learned nothing about time management. As we get older and more experienced with life and work we should be finding easier and more efficient ways to do things. Life is all about choices and decisions. If we agree to take on more than we can handle, we deserve to have no spare time. We are in charge of our lives and our happiness.

“Many who are self-taught far excel the doctors, masters, and bachelors of the most renowned universities.”

-- Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973), economist, historian, sociologist 

What’s something that isn’t being produced/made anymore that you want back?

Rack stereo systems pushing a butt-load of power. I think the sound was so much better than what we have coming out of the mini-systems today. Maybe it was due to all the buttons, knobs, and levers we had physical control over. Now I have 5 choices of automatic equalizer settings, none of which make the sound right for the music being played. 

How do you keep a good relationship while finding your way in life?

Honesty, love, and attention. Be a good friend and a partner. If you demand nothing of your friends, demand nothing of your love. It is what it is until it isn’t. Enjoy your time with it while it is.

Is it possible for actors to live without having side businesses?

Yes, but what happens when they fall out of favor? Same for sports figures. If they become so injured they can’t ever play again, they better hope they’ve bought into pizza parlors and didn’t blow all their money on hot cars and boats.

“I’ve seen so many people in this business that made a fortune. They get old and broke and can’t make any money. I tell you something . . . no one’s going to play a benefit for Jimmy Dean.”

-- Jimmy Dean (1928-2010), singer, actor, businessman

When do you realize that your passion won't amount to a solid career?

When you realize you can’t make your financial ends meet. This is one reason why artists starve. Sometimes your passion is meant to be an enjoyable pastime, not a career. If your pastime turns into a moneymaker, hey, lucky you, now you might just have a career. One problem you face though, if your passion is fun and then you have to do it as work, 9–5, will it still be fun in a year or two?

What is the difference between a new and an old thing? What differentiates them besides time itself?

But, everything has to do with time. Wear and tear, technology, design, sound, playability, durability, weight, size, all have to do with time and what we learned through time to make it better, or worse as the case might be.

What lists are more important than a bucket list?

Your friends and family. It isn’t what or who you’ve done that's important, it’s who remembers you fondly, regardless. Your greatness, your blessing, can be told by the number of people at your funeral.

“Create a life you don’t need a vacation from.”

-- Unknown

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.